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Adjustability
The ability of a product to be changed in size, commonly used to increase the range of percentiles that a product is appropriate for.
Alertness
The level of vigilance, readiness or caution of an individual.
Anthropometrics
The aspect of ergonomics that deals with body measurements, particularly those of size, strength and physical capacity.
Biomechanics
The research and analysis of the mechanics of living organisms. In Human factors includes the research and analysis of the mechanics (operation of our muscles, joints, tendons, etc.) of our human body. It also includes Force (impact on user’s joints), Repetition, Duration and Posture.
Clearance
The physical space between two objects.
Cognitive ergonomics
How mental processes, (memory, reasoning, motor response and perception), affect the interactions between users and other components of a system.
Comfort
A person's sense of physical or psychological ease.
Dynamic data
Human body measurements taken when the subject is in motion related to range and reach of various body movements. E.g. crawling height, overhead reach and the range of upper body movements.
Environmental factors
A set of psychological factors that can affect the performance of an individual that come from the environment that the individual is situated.
Ergonomics
The application of scientific information concerning the relationship between human beings and the design of products, systems and environments.
Fatigue
A person's sense of physical or psychological tiredness.
Functional data
Includes dynamic data measurements while performing a required task e.g. reaching abilities, maneuvering and aspects of space and equipment use.
Human error
Mistakes made by users, some of which can result in catastrophic consequences for people, property and the environment, as they are considered key contributors to major accidents.
Human factors
A scientific discipline concerned with understanding how humans interact with elements of a system. It can also be considered the practice of designing products, systems or processes to take account of the interaction between them and their users. It is also known as comfort design, functional design and user
Human information processing system
An automatic system that a person uses to interpret information and react. It is normally comprised of inputs, processes (which can be sensory, central and motor), and outputs.
Interval data
Based on numeric scales in which we know the order and the exact difference between the values. Organized into even divisions or intervals, and intervals are of equal size.
Nominal data scale
Nominal means 'by name' and used in classification or division of objects into discrete groups. Each of which is identified with a name e.g. category of cars, and the scale does not provide any measurement within or between categories.
Ordinal data
A statistical data type that exists on an arbitrary numerical scale where the exact numerical value has no significance other than to rank a set of data points. Deals with the order or position of items such as words, letters, symbols or numbers arranged in a hierarchical order. Quantitative assessment cannot be made.
Percentile range
That proportion of a population with a dimension at or less than a given value. For a given demographic (gender, race, age), the 50th percentile is the average.
Perception
The way in which something is regarded, understood or interpreted.
Physiological factor data
Human factor data related to physical characteristics used to optimize the user's safety, health, comfort and performance
Primary data
Data collected by a user for a specific purpose.
Psychological factor data
Human factor data related to psychological interpretations caused by light, smell, sound, taste, temperature and texture.
Qualitative data
Typically descriptive data used to find out in depth the way people think or feel
Quantitative data
Data that can be measured and recorded using numbers. Examples include height, shoe size, and fingernail length.
Range of sizes
A selection of sizes a product is made in that caters for the majority of a market.
Ratio data scale
Allows you to compare differences between numbers. For example, use a rating scale of 1
Reach
A range that a person can stretch to touch or grasp an object from a specified position.
Secondary data
Data collected by someone other than the user.
Static data
Human body measurements when the subject is still.
Structural data
Refers to measurements taken while the subject is in a fixed or standard position, e.g. height, arm length.
Workplace environmental factors
These factors can be considered to maximise performance of a user in a role and reduce the risk of accidents. They can be categorised as: • Management (policies, safety education) • Physical environment (noise, temperature, pollutants, trip hazards, signage) • Equipment design (controls, visibility, hazards, warnings, safety guards) • The nature of the job (repetitiveness, mental or physical workload, force, pressure) • Social or psychological environment (Social group, morale) • The worker (personal ability, alertness, age, fatigue)
Circular economy
An economy model in which resources remain in use for as long as possible, from which maximum value is extracted while in use, and the products and materials are recovered and regenerated at the end of the product life cycle.
Clean technology
Products, services or processes that reduce waste and require the minimum amount of non-renewable resources.
Combined Heat and Power (CHP)
A system that simultaneously generates heat and electricity from either the combustion of fuel, or a solar heat collector.
Converging technologies
The synergistic merging of nanotechnology, biotechnology, information and communication technologies and cognitive science.
Cradle to cradle
A design philosophy that aims to eliminate waste from the production, use and disposal of a product. It centres on products which are made to be made again.
Cradle to grave
A design philosophy that considers the environmental effects of a product all of the way from manufacture to disposal.
Dematerialization
The reduction of total material and energy throughput of any product and service.
Design for the environment software
Software that allows designers to perform Life cycle analysis (LCA) on a product and assess its environmental impact.
Embodied energy
A design strategy that focusses on three broad environmental categories - materials, energy, and pollution/waste.
End-of-pipe technologies
Technology that is used to reduce pollutants and waste at the end of a process.
Embodied energy
The total energy required to produce a product.
Energy distribution
The method with which energy is transported from a source to where it is used.
Energy storage
The method with which energy is stored for later use.
Energy utilization
The method with which energy is used.
Green design
Designing in a way that takes account of the environmental impact of the product throughout its life.
Green legislation
Laws and regulations that are based on conservation and sustainability principles, followed by designers and manufacturers when creating green products.
Incremental solutions
Products which are improved and developed over time leading to new versions and generations.
Individual energy generation
The ability of an individual to use devices to create small amounts of energy to run low
Legislation
Laws considered collectively to address a certain topic.
Life cycle analysis (LCA)
The assessment of the effect a product has on the environment through five stages of its life: pre-production; production; distribution
(including packaging; utilization; and disposal.
Linear economy
An economy based on the make, use, dispose model.
Local combined heat and power (CHP)
CHP plants that generate heat and power for a local community
National and international grid systems
An electrical supply distribution network that can be national or international. International grids allow electricity generated in one country to be used in another.
Product cycle
Also known as the product life cycle, it is a cycle that every product goes through from introduction to withdrawal or discontinuation.
Product recovery strategies
The processes of separating the component parts of a product to recover the parts and materials.
Quantification of carbon emissions
Defining numerically the carbon emissions generated by a particular product
Radical solutions
Where a completely new product is devised by going back to the roots of a problem and thinking about a solution in a different way. Recondition Rebuilding a product so that it is in an “as new” condition, and is generally used in the context of car engines and tyres.
Recovery of raw materials
Strategies for the separation of components of a product in order to recover raw materials.
Recycle
Refers to using the materials from obsolete products to create other products.
Re-engineer
To redesign components or products to improve their characteristics or performance.
Renewability
The level at which a resource is renewable. The rate that a resource can be replenished.
Renewable resources
A natural resource that can replenished with the passage of time, or does not abate at all.
Repair
The reconstruction or renewal of any part of an existing structure or device.
Reserves
Natural resources that have been identified in terms of quantity and quality.
Resources
The stock or supply of materials that are available in a given context.
Re-use
Reuse of a product in the same context or in a different context.
System level solutions
Solutions that are implemented to deal with the whole system, rather than just components.
The precautionary principle
The anticipation of potential problems in relation to the environmental impact of the production, use and disposal of a product.
The prevention principle
The avoidance or minimization of producing waste in relation to the production, use and disposal of a product.
Waste mitigation strategies
Strategies used to reduce the waste produced by a product or in the production and disposal of a product.
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